Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Oklahoma bill escalates immigration debate
By Jessica Jackson
Oklahoma Daily (U. Oklahoma)
11/01/2007

(U-WIRE) NORMAN, Okla. — A new bill focusing on stricter regulations for illegal immigrants goes into effect in Oklahoma on Thursday.

House Bill 1804, written and proposed by state Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, is also called the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007 and will force a person to prove his or her citizenship upon request of a government official.

Terrill said he created the bill for four purposes: to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving public assistance, to eliminate illegal immigrants from getting state issued documents, to give state and local agencies the ability to enforce the law and to impose new requirements for employers.

"The state of Oklahoma finds that illegal immigration is causing economic hardship and lawlessness in this state," stated the bill. "And that illegal immigration is encouraged by public agencies within this state that provide public benefits without verifying immigration status."

The bill makes it illegal to transport or shelter illegal immigrants in Oklahoma and makes it so hospitals and prisons must make a reasonable effort to determine the citizenship status of s person in the hospital or prison.

Carol Helm, director of Immigration Reform for Oklahoma Now, said her organization supports the bill because it promotes federal law.

"We feel like this is going a long way to stop the abuse of the labor and tax laws," Helm said. "We aren't willing to continue to pay for folks who aren't paying their taxes."

Elsie Urueta, Hispanic American Student Association president and international business and marketing senior at the University of Oklahoma, said illegal immigrants still pay some taxes, such as for housing and food.

"Oklahoma has some of the highest state taxes, and a lot of them are embedded in daily life," Urueta said.

Julissa Herrera, president of the Hispanic American Law Student Association and law student, said members of the organization are varied in their opinions on the debate.

"However, Oklahoma House Bill 1804 appears to infringe on the rights of both citizens and non-citizens," Herrera said. "As law students, we will monitor and analyze the various challenges, if any, to HB 1804 that will go through the courts system."

Terrill said he is getting a lot of support for the bill. He said he received 183 phone calls Tuesday, and only three of them were negative.

Despite the support shown for Terrill's bill, some people have criticized the bill saying it attacks immigrants.

"The only people who have anything to worry about is those people who have voluntarily decided to break our law by coming here or staying here against our law," Terrill said. "So if you are a criminal, you have something to worry about."

Gov. Brad Henry said it is important for states to act on the issue, in addition to federal action.

"Illegal immigration is a very serious national security issue that must be addressed at the federal level," Henry said when he signed the bill May 8. "States can take some actions on their own, but until the U.S. Congress enacts a comprehensive national immigration policy, citizens will see little progress on this issue."

Helm agrees illegal immigration is a major problem.

"I'm simply amazed by the distortion, defiance and abuse of the rule of law by a group of people who are illegally here," she said.

Last week, the Oklahoma State Regents of Higher Education adopted a new policy to allow undocumented students who have lived in Oklahoma for at least two years and graduated from a state high school to receive state financial aid, if they are attempting to legalize their immigration status.

Officials at OU are deciding how to handle the situation.

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